
2020: The Year in First Lines
My initial research into the subject led to an increase in the frequency of posts on the blog as the year’s end drew near. Continue reading 2020: The Year in First Lines
My initial research into the subject led to an increase in the frequency of posts on the blog as the year’s end drew near. Continue reading 2020: The Year in First Lines
Father was smiling. I remember thinking how rare an event that was these days. ‘Go now and prepare yourself for a journey and your marriage,’ he bade me. ‘We leave at first light tomorrow for Waterford where de Clare awaits us.’ Continue reading 23rd August 1170: An Irish ‘D-Day’ Landing
Historical fiction can be a daunting genre to write in. Endlessly fascinating and rewarding, yes. But still daunting. Continue reading 6 Principles for Writing HIstorical Fiction
I think fiction must feature settings that are taken from the author’s imagination, whereas historical fiction must, by its nature, be set in real places in order to lend authenticity. Continue reading Open Book Blog Hop, 20th April
Last year, I revisited all my published titles and edited them. . . It took several months but was worth doing, and I enjoyed reconnecting with my characters. Continue reading Update #2 – Rebecca Bryn
You will not be disappointed, either by plot, by character development or by the sheer quality of the writing. Continue reading Buy This Book: Help Veterans and Horses
For decades I thought of joining a coven and training to become a witch Continue reading A Date With . . . Cathy M Donnelly
That’s what makes a great writer, according to Rebecca Bryn and she should know, being one of the greatest. Her work deserves much wider recognition. “For Their Country’s Good” would make a TV series to rival “Poldark” and “The Dandelion Clock”, which I had the privilege of reading pre-publication, has echoes of Michael Morpurgo’s “War Horse”. Writing that comes from the heart, with deep emotional overtones and well developed characters, will always captivate me as a reader. Ms. Bryn does that brilliantly. via It’s not what you know, it’s who you know! Continue reading It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!
This post from Rebecca Bryn resonated with me because I recently received a couple of critical reviews of Strongbow’s Wife. In one case the writer of the review kindly e-mailed me pointing out a couple of minor period details that I got wrong. The other claimed to have had his faith in the book destroyed by the appearance of a minor character who aspired to write ‘poetry in the Greek fashion’. Impossible in Medieval Britain according to my critic. Trouble is he was a real person who did indeed write epic poetry emulating Homer. Rebecca is definitely one of my … Continue reading Writers and Readers don’t always Understand Each Other
we spent three days sleeping in our hire car, living on marmalade sandwiches, before being rescued by military helicopter. Continue reading A Date With . . . Graham Watkins